Consuming Fire

1 Kings 18 & 19

When I back track and post writings in other places, I love to see the places we’ve been so far. A peek over our shoulder at the path behind us.   Other sacred moments of God coming down.

I just reread the moment when the ark was brought into the Temple in Jerusalem, and every one had been waiting for that moment.  

And today we read about God coming down again.  With a vengeance.  With consuming, jealous, fire.  

God longing for the hearts of His People, his treasured possession.  Like a Dad waiting for his runaway at the end of the road. 

1 Kings 18:1 “After a long time, in the third year, the Word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land. 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab.  Now the famine was severe in Samaria and 3 Ahab had summoned Obadiah who was in charge of his palace. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the LORD. 4 While Jezebel was killing off the LORD’s prophets Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.)

I wonder if Elijah’s heart is beating in his throat as he musters up the courage to walk to the palace.  Knowing exactly what kind of mindset is ruling this pagan nation.   Knowing that if God is summoning him to go, that something is about to happen.   And that’s just verse 1!  

And that little tidbit about Jezebel. An instrument of evil, in this war between good and evil.   Battle lines clearly drawn and sides chosen.   We love to hate her.  I wonder if there was more to her life than this, but it’s all the detail we receive. 

And that little piece about Obadiah.  Another bit player in this big story.  Saving prophets and men of God, right under Jezebel’s nose. Like an Oscar Schindler in another piece of history and another war between good and evil.  Obadiah about to be exposed and outed when his path will cross with Elijah’s.  He is afraid. Very, very afraid.

Elijah is not deterred.  This mission is from God. And the rain is coming.

Do you love what Ahab says to Elijah?  They have some great one liners between them over the next few chapters.

Vs 17 “When he saw Elijah, he said to him, ‘Is that you, you troubler of Israel?’ “

I love that sentence!  

Elijah is such a great pain in Ahab’s neck.   Bringer of trouble.  

Elijah’s God behind this drought bringing this nation to its knees.
Going so far as to necessitate travel throughout the kingdom to search for food for the army’s horses. 

Toil and trouble.

I always picture Ahab as a creepy little man with a scraggly beard, with a velvet robe and ermine trim.  A creepy little man, with a powerful, beautiful, malevolent queen behind him.   He being a mere pawn.  Pesky.  The real troubler of Israel.

This sets the stage where Elijah asks for the ultimate showdown between God and Baal at Mt Carmel, and he asks for all the people to be summoned. Summoned to bear witness to this battle for the hearts and the souls of a nation. 

A simple and direct challenge.  

2 bulls.

2 altars.

450 prophets of Baal.

1 prophet of God.

The challenge: Whichever God sets fire to the offering wins.

Baal’s prophets danced, shouted, settled into ecstatic, frenzied, cultic dancing.  Ranting, raving and self-mutilating.

Vs 29 “But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.” 

When it is Elijah’s turn, he quietly rebuilds the altar which was in ruins.

Vs 31 “He gathered twelve stones.  One for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the Word of the LORD had come.  Saying, ‘Your name shall be Israel.’ 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. “

These must have been the instructions from God.   To take those twelve stones and rebuild this altar.   To make that proclamation “Your name shall be Israel”.  That reminder of “You are Mine”.  To all the people gathered there to watch the spectacle.   Remember who you are, where you came from, and whose you are!   You are my people!  And I won’t share you!  

Vs 36 “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed, ‘O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be know today that you are God in Israel and I your servant have done all these things at your command.  37 Answer me, O LORD, answer me. 

So these people will know

That you, O LORD are God,

And that you are turning their hearts back again.

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell

And burned up the sacrifice,

The wood,

The stones and the soil

And also licked up the water. 

39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried:

‘The LORD – He is GOD! The LORD – He is GOD!’ “

Was there ever any doubt!?

God seeks and calls and sends.

God answers and shows up.

Claims these people, and draws them back again.  

Then the people disperse and must head home again.

Wondering and talking amongst each other about they have just seen.  

And the scene closes with the bloody slaughter of all Baal’s priests, in accordance with Mosaic law. Ahab does nothing to stop this.  Vs 41 “And Elijah says to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of heavy rain.’ “

We see a little cloud, the size of a man’s hand.

And we see Elijah outrunning Ahab’s chariot all the way back to Jezreel.  

This Story with so many downs and ups.

Of forgetting and remembering

Of wickedness and goodness.

Of defeat and of triumph.

Like an epic movie

Where the plot and outcome were never in question.

I wonder what that was like. 

To pick up each of those stones.  

After sitting, and watching, and waiting.  

This deliberate action to illustrate God’s long hard love for these people.

That He will not surrender to an impotent god made of wood.